76ers’ Joel Embiid on ‘Toxic’ NBA MVP Conversation: ‘Happy’ I’m Not in It

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVApril 5, 2024

Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid found a silver lining to missing the games played threshold for awards and All-NBA consideration.

Following Thursday’s 109-105 win over the Miami Heat, the reigning MVP said he’s “happy I’m not in the conversation” because it “has been toxic for a long time.”

NBC Sports Philadelphia @NBCSPhillyThe reigning MVP with some interesting comments on the current MVP race 👀 pic.twitter.com/TF17491NmX

If anything, the MVP race this season feels far less contentious than Embiid’s victory over the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić. Perhaps that’s because Jokić is perceived to have such a sizable lead on the competition without another serious challenger.

The Nuggets big man collected 85 of the 100 first-place votes in the newest MVP straw poll conducted by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. All signs point to a runaway atop the ballot.

While Embiid won handily in the end a year ago, he and Jokić were neck and neck for much of the campaign. That meant a lot of fans, even those without a firm rooting interest, drew battle lines.

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone told reporters last March the MVP conversation “has gotten so out of hand” and “really dark.” Doc Rivers, the Sixers coach at the time, echoed a similar sentiment.

“I thought (Embiid) was the MVP last year, but I wanna make a point,” he said. “Can we stop trying to put people down? We should be celebrating our guys in the league. Giannis, Jayson Tatum, Joker, all of them are great. We don’t need to push one down to elevate the other guy. They all are completely different players. They are.”

Were it not for his meniscus injury, Embiid would probably be right there with Jokić once again. He’s averaging 34.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, and Philly’s performance without him offered a testament to his value on the court.

Based on his comments Thursday, the seven-time All-Star isn’t heartbroken to be on the outside looking in on the MVP battle.